How Much Memory Is Really Needed???

[jeffdks]

I am new to GPS receivers and am looking at the Garmin 60CS or 76CS.

As far as I can tell the main difference is memory. How much do you need?

I also would like to use it on trips we make from Kansas to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Is it possible to have all the maps I would need loaded at one time.

What would the extra memory buy me?

Sorry if this has been discussed I read a lot of the postsand didn't see a lot of info

Thanks for any information!

Jeff

[+BlueDeuce]

Not sure of your exact route but I can put in All of Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and am around 75mb. It's closer to 80 md if I include the downtown KC area.

 

Refining your map selection based on your route could probably easily fit in the 60cs, although I like having the extra memory of the 76cs for those really long trips.

[ImpalaBob]

The Base Maps have "most" of the major highways in the unit. Tha additional cost City Select maps bring in all the detail you could possibly need. The more Metro an area is the more memory it takes up ..... so a section of New York City might be equal to the whole State of Wyoming!

 

If you are bringing a laptop it is a mute point as you can transfer in new Maps when you need them. The Garmin 3600 iQue PDA stores the complete City Select and is a GPS and has voice driving prompts.

 

So ..... the best thing is to post your start point and destination and have one of us highlight all the maps that cover your trip and see how many Megs of memory you will need.

 

I just bought our 2nd 60C for the household so technically we can take 112 MBs with us! I like the button position and size of the 60C more than the 76 series so that was my determining factor.

 

BOTH are great units! Go to a store where you can handle them both.

 

You can go to Garmins site and select City Select Map Products and zoom in to your vacation areas and see the level of detail.

 

ImpalaBob

[Neo_Geo]

I just plotted a route from Witchita, Kansas to Sheridan County Airport in Wyoming, to Bert Mooney, Montana, to Boise, Idaho. I plotted this route using MetroGuide version 5 data. Selecting all of the maps along this route takes 23.8MB. Keep in mind that MetroGuide 5 doesn't include the route calculation data that City Select does, and version 6 maps will include a little more map data than version 5. I would estimate that such additional data would take the total somewhere in the neighborhood of 30MB which is well within the 56MB limit of the 60C/S!

 

As a general rule of thumb, the 60C/S will hold enough maps for a trip roughly halfway across the U.S. The 76C/S will hold enough for a cross-country trip, although Bangor, Maine to Los Angeles takes a little more than 115MB.

 

I'll try the same route on my City Select version 5 maps when I get home tonight and let you know what I find.

[tubemonkey]

I also would like to use it on trips we make from Kansas to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Keep in mind that these states are sparsely populated. If you base your memory needs on these states and then attempt to use your GPS for trips to more populated states and cities, you'll be in for a rude awakening.

 

You need to first decide what your primary use is -- biking, boating, geocaching, hiking, travel, etc -- then go from there. The memory needs for each of these activities varies greatly. Hiking and geocaching don't require much memory at all, since you'll be on foot. Whereas boating and car trips will need quite a bit more.

 

I wanted one GPS to handle both hiking and cross-country car trips. Unfortunately, neither Garmin nor Magellan have any models that will fit my needs -- USB connectivity, TFT color display, AA power supply, and SD memory slot. Garmin's 60C or Legend C would easily fulfill my hiking requirements, but without a memory slot, they'd be worthless on long distance trips. On the other hand, Magellan's eXplorist 500 would fit my travel needs, but since it relies on a rechargeable battery, it's worthless for hiking.

 

Since hiking is my primary use for a GPS, I decided to get the Garmin Legend. It's older technology with a cheap price tag ($100), a gray scale display, and only 8mb of memory, which is more than adequate for hiking. To satisfy my long distance travel needs, I'll just continue to use old-fashioned paper maps from AAA. I'm not about to waste a lot of money on a new color unit that will only satisfy some of my needs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that either Garmin or Magellan will come out with a handheld GPS that will meet all of my needs -- AA, SD, TFT, USB.

 

Good luck.

[+piper28]

Using the 60c means you may have to think a little about your route, and not select everything in a state. As an example, when I took my big trip last year, I was able to build a strip of map regions from Lansing, MI, through the UP, west across a lot of northern states, and then down to Yellowstone. I was able to build a strip along this route that would even allow me some leeway of travel off the route (depending on where I was of course, more populated areas mean smaller regions on the map).

 

Now, if I'd wanted to build something for my entire trip beyond that point, I wouldn't have been able to do that. As it happened I had my laptop on the trip though, so it wasn't a problem. (The rest of the trip involved going down from yellowstone, visiting a solid chunk of utah, across southern colorado, then back along i-80 to i-69 to lansing.) That said, I'm not sure you could have built that entire route even on the 76c.

[+piper28]

Ugh, multipost.

Edited July 1, 2005 by piper28

[Neo_Geo]

Using the 60c means you may have to think a little about your route, and not select everything in a state. As an example, when I took my big trip last year, I was able to build a strip of map regions from Lansing, MI, through the UP, west across a lot of northern states, and then down to Yellowstone. I was able to build a strip along this route that would even allow me some leeway of travel off the route (depending on where I was of course, more populated areas mean smaller regions on the map).

Newer versions of MapSource make this easy! Just plot and calculate your route, then click on "Edit" and then click on "Select Maps Around a Route". MapSource will automatically select all of the maps which contain your route. You can then go back and select other map segments where the route comes close to unselected segments to be sure you have good coverage in case you need to stray a little from the route.

[Neo_Geo]

I'll try the same route on my City Select version 5 maps when I get home tonight and let you know what I find.

 

The same route comes to 29.3MB in City Select version 5. I'd say maybe about 31 to 32 for version 6.

[+Sputnik 57]

I just plotted a route from Witchita, Kansas to Sheridan County Airport in Wyoming, to Bert Mooney, Montana, to Boise, Idaho. I plotted this route using MetroGuide version 5 data. Selecting all of the maps along this route takes 23.8MB. Keep in mind that MetroGuide 5 doesn't include the route calculation data that City Select does, and version 6 maps will include a little more map data than version 5. I would estimate that such additional data would take the total somewhere in the neighborhood of 30MB which is well within the 56MB limit of the 60C/S!

 

As a general rule of thumb, the 60C/S will hold enough maps for a trip roughly halfway across the U.S. The 76C/S will hold enough for a cross-country trip, although Bangor, Maine to Los Angeles takes a little more than 115MB.

 

I'll try the same route on my City Select version 5 maps when I get home tonight and let you know what I find.

I just plotted this in City Select ver 6. It takes 27.6MB. If you go ahead and grab all of Denver, just to have it, it is 31.0 MB. (Neo Geo is dadgum good!).

 

Remeber that even if you just load the areas you will be staying, the unit will autoroute on the basemap along interstates and other major roads. You don't have to have detailed maps for the entir route. E.g., you could just load the maps around Wichita, Denver, Cheyanne, Billings, Idaho Falls and Billings (18.1MB) and use the basemap for all points in between. Of course, since this entire route fits on the 60C, you could load it all if you wanted to.

[jeffdks]

The Base Maps have "most" of the major highways in the unit.  Tha additional cost City Select maps bring in all the detail you could possibly need.  The more Metro an area is the more memory it takes up ..... so a section of New York City might be equal to the whole State of Wyoming!

 

If you are bringing a laptop it is a mute point as you can transfer in new Maps when you need them.  The Garmin 3600 iQue PDA stores the complete City Select and is a GPS and has voice driving prompts.

 

So .....  the best thing is to post your start point and destination and have one of us highlight all the maps that cover your trip and see how many Megs of memory you will need.

 

I just bought our 2nd 60C for the household so technically we can take 112 MBs with us!  I like the button position and size of the 60C more than the 76 series so that was my determining factor.

 

BOTH are great units!  Go to a store where you can handle them both.

 

You can go to Garmins site and select City Select Map Products and zoom in to your vacation areas and see the level of detail.

 

ImpalaBob

I agree I like the way the 60CS feels it just seems to be a more natural layout.

I will probably have a laptop but was hoping to be able to load everything for the trip out. Then if I need to load the local area while we are there.

It sounds like I could get everything I need in and may have a little room to spare.

Thanks for your help!

[jeffdks]

Using the 60c means you may have to think a little about your route, and not select everything in a state.  As an example, when I took my big trip last year, I was able to build a strip of map regions from Lansing, MI, through the UP, west across a lot of northern states, and then down to Yellowstone.  I was able to build a strip along this route that would even allow me some leeway of travel off the route (depending on where I was of course, more populated areas mean smaller regions on the map).

Newer versions of MapSource make this easy! Just plot and calculate your route, then click on "Edit" and then click on "Select Maps Around a Route". MapSource will automatically select all of the maps which contain your route. You can then go back and select other map segments where the route comes close to unselected segments to be sure you have good coverage in case you need to stray a little from the route.

Now this sounds like the way to go. I had in mind to see if I could just pick the areas near my intended route. It looks like you were very close in your prediction.

Thanks very much for the help,

Jeff

[jeffdks]

I just plotted a route from Witchita, Kansas to Sheridan County Airport in Wyoming, to Bert Mooney, Montana, to Boise, Idaho.  I plotted this route using MetroGuide version 5 data.  Selecting all of the maps along this route takes 23.8MB.  Keep in mind that MetroGuide 5 doesn't include the route calculation data that City Select does, and version 6 maps will include a little more map data than version 5.  I would estimate that such additional data would take the total somewhere in the neighborhood of 30MB which is well within the 56MB limit of the 60C/S! 

 

As a general rule of thumb, the 60C/S will hold enough maps for a trip roughly halfway across the U.S.  The 76C/S will hold enough for a cross-country trip, although Bangor, Maine to Los Angeles takes a little more than 115MB.

 

I'll try the same route on my City Select version 5 maps when I get home tonight and let you know what I find.

I just plotted this in City Select ver 6. It takes 27.6MB. If you go ahead and grab all of Denver, just to have it, it is 31.0 MB. (Neo Geo is dadgum good!).

 

Remeber that even if you just load the areas you will be staying, the unit will autoroute on the basemap along interstates and other major roads. You don't have to have detailed maps for the entir route. E.g., you could just load the maps around Wichita, Denver, Cheyanne, Billings, Idaho Falls and Billings (18.1MB) and use the basemap for all points in between. Of course, since this entire route fits on the 60C, you could load it all if you wanted to.

Thanks for taking the time to try all this out. It really helps to see several ways to do this. Looks like I had better get busy...

Thanks,

[jeffdks]

Thanks everyone! This is great info, now I have a feel for what kind of memory usage a map takes up. That was a big problem, I didn't even know how to guess.

Now if I can decide which unit to buy I'll be in business.

Anyone have any experience with mail order companies?

 

Thanks again!

Jeff

[+damel]

I love my GPSmap 60c. 56megs is actually a lot. My latest trip (4000+ miles through CA,AZ,UT,WY,MT,ID,WA and OR) completely fit on the unit minus the San Francisco Area and the Los Angeles Area. Big cities take up a lot of space and being from CA I did not need these any way. That said, my normal map set is Los Angeles and I can fit the Greater LA in 37.7 megs on the unit and if I add say San Diego and Santa Barbara I can fill the unit. This is where you might want the 76 over the 60. This does become a mute issue thought if you just take a laptop along with you. So I personally dont feel that more memory is necessary. Oh, and I personally like the feel and button location on the 60 over the 76.

[Neo_Geo]

Now if I can decide which unit to buy I'll be in business.

Anyone have any experience with mail order companies?

 

I bought my 60C from TIGERGPS.com and had no problem. I've also ordered all of my MapSource products from AMAZON.com. I've always used their free shipping option. They have a disclaimer on their free shipping which says it can take up to 9 days, but every time I've used it I've gotten my merchandise in 2 days! The disclaimer is probably for the Christmas season.

 

A search in the forum for "best price" revealed the following threads:

Gpsmap 60cs - Where To Buy - Good Price?

Okay I Am Ready, Best price for GPS

Good Places To Buy A Gps??

Edited July 2, 2005 by Neo_Geo

[+piper28]

Newer versions of MapSource make this easy! Just plot and calculate your route, then click on "Edit" and then click on "Select Maps Around a Route". MapSource will automatically select all of the maps which contain your route. You can then go back and select other map segments where the route comes close to unselected segments to be sure you have good coverage in case you need to stray a little from the route.

 

Hmm, which version did they add that? I wonder if I could have done that and didn't even realize it. Been updating to a new laptop recently, so I haven't had access to mapsource to look at things like that.

[jeffdks]

What's up with the unlock codes...?

With City Select are you able to use maps from any part of the US? Is City Select about all the software needed?

I read something about unlocking only one region, is that a different piece of software.

Thanks for the help,

Jeff

[ImpalaBob]

I just bought a 2nd 60C for $358 including shipping from provantage.com. I also bought my autokit and City Select combo from them for $143. Good service. $50 rebate still good for a few days! You get 2 unit unlock codes for City Select North America .... so my original copy will talk to both of my 60Cs. Maps cover all of North America. MapSource 6.5 is available for free download at Garmin.com and yes it does a lot of new things including my favorite opening .gpx files from pocket queries! ImpalaBob

[Neo_Geo]

Newer versions of MapSource make this easy! Just plot and calculate your route, then click on "Edit" and then click on "Select Maps Around a Route". MapSource will automatically select all of the maps which contain your route. You can then go back and select other map segments where the route comes close to unselected segments to be sure you have good coverage in case you need to stray a little from the route.

 

Hmm, which version did they add that? I wonder if I could have done that and didn't even realize it. Been updating to a new laptop recently, so I haven't had access to mapsource to look at things like that.

 

Changes made from version 6.3 to 6.5:

Added the capability for a user to be able to automatically select all the maps adjacent to a route, track, or waypoint.

 

What's up with the unlock codes...?

With City Select are you able to use maps from any part of the US? Is City Select about all the software needed?

I read something about unlocking only one region, is that a different piece of software.

 

City select allows you to unlock ALL of the U.S. and Canada to your GPSr. Back in the olden days, they would give you CD with all of the U.S. on it, and you could choose certain areas that you wanted to use. Garmin saw it as a way for you to be able to buy only the maps you needed to buy. Garmin's customers saw it as Garmin being stingy and felt that they should get all of the regions. They still do it that way for Blue Charts.

Edited July 3, 2005 by Neo_Geo

[jeffdks]

Sounds like it's time for someone to supply another offering...

 

Jeff